The Olu of Owode in Obafemi/Owode Local Government of Ogun State, Oba Kolawole Sowemimo, has confirmed his two-month suspension without salaries by the Egba Traditional Council.
This action
was taken in response to the monarch’s alleged abuse of naira notes, as seen in
a viral video from early January.
In the video,
the royal father was captured on camera adorning popular Fuji musician Wasiu
Ayinde with knitted new notes of N1,000, using them as a garland.
The event did
not settle well with the Egba Traditional Council as they decided to suspend
the monarch for his public degradation of the Nigerian currency, which is a
violation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s regulations.
The suspension
was reportedly imposed during the February statutory meeting of the Egba
Traditional Council, chaired by the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba
Adedotun Gbadebo.
Heraldviews gathered
that the joint resolution passed during the meeting approved the suspension of
the monarch based on the Ethics Committee’s recommendation.
It was
declared that Sowemimo should refrain from presenting himself as a traditional
ruler during his suspension period.
It was also
noted that Sowemimo is prohibited from attending or being present at any
government or public events as a traditional ruler, and he will not receive any
payments for a duration of three months.
Speaking to
journalists on the development, Sowemimo said the suspension was announced
during the traditional rulers meeting on Friday.
“They said the
suspension was due to the way I spent money on one musician.
“And when I
was asked if I had anything to say, I stood up and apologised for whatever I had
done wrong, and the suspension, which was earlier announced to be for three
months without salaries, was reduced to two months.
“I totally
accept the verdict of the council because it is the person that we love that we
chastise, so I am good with the decision,” the traditional ruler told The
PUNCH.
In his report,
Oba Saka Matemilola, the Chairman of the three-member Ethics Committee of the
Egba Traditional Council, stated that the committee reached its decision after
carefully reviewing the viral video in which Sowemimo violated the ethics of a
Yoruba traditional institution by defacing Nigeria’s currency.
The Olowu of
Owu and the committee chairman, Oba Saka Matemilola, disclosed that their
findings revealed that the embattled traditional ruler was captured on camera
holding scattered naira notes as a bead and clasping onto the neck of a
musician in a public setting.
Furthermore,
the chairman emphasized that the council received a significant amount of
public condemnation for this act, with derogatory comments directed towards the
traditional institution. He highlighted that the actions of the Oba are in
direct contradiction to Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.
The embattled
traditional ruler had received a stern warning from the National Orientation
Agency last month for his inappropriate handling of naira notes during his 13th
anniversary on the throne.
In response to
the video, the Director General of NOA, Lanre Issa-Onilu, issued a statement
directly to the monarch, condemning the act as a violation of the national
currency, which carries penalties of imprisonment, fines, or both.
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